Knit head cover and method of forming same



Oct. 6, 1970 R. E. CHESEBRO, JR

KNIT HEAD COVER AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Filed Dec. 24, 1968 E INVENTORZ ROBERT E: CHEsEBR Ja ATTORNEY 5 United States Patent 3,531,952 KNIT HEAD COVER AND METHOD OF FORMING SAME Robert E. Chesebro, Jr., Sheboygan, Wis., assignor t0 Wigwam Mills, Inc., Sheboygan, Wis. Filed Dec. 24, 1968, Ser. No. 786,665

Int. Cl. D04b 1/24 US. Cl. 66171 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The head cover is of a knit, two-ply construction throughout and includes an upper crown portion, a face hood portion having an elongate face opening therein, a neck engaging portion, and a lower dickey portion having separate front and rear panels. The head cover is formed by knitting an elongate seamless tube while forming a narrow band of distinctive stitches which serves as a guide to form the elongate face opening in the proper position when one-half of the tube is folded up inside the other half to provide the two-ply construction.

This invention relates generally to the formation of a knit head cover and more particularly to a head cover of the type including a crown portion, a face portion having an elongate face opening, a constricted neck engaging portion, and a lower dickey portion having front and rear panels.

It is generally known to form a knit cap or head cover by initially knitting an elongate tube and then folding a portion of the tube inside the other protion to form a two-play construction. The inner and outer plies must be properly aligned before they are stitched together at certain locations and this is time-consuming and not always accurate since it depends upon the skill of the person forming the head cover. Also, the prior known types of head covers terminate at the neck and do not extends downwardly far enough to afford protection to the chest and back of the wearer. During the formation of head covers having integrally formed face hood portions, it is ditficult to determine the proper position for forming the face opening in the hood portion.

With the foregoing in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide a knit two-ply head cover in which selected portions are knit of different stitch constructions so that the corresponding parts of each ply may be quickly and accurately aligned with each other.

It is another object of this invention to provide a two ply head cover including a crown portion, a face hood portion, a neck engaging portion, and lower dickey portion having a front and rear panel separated at their opposite edges and adapted to cover the upper chest and back of the wearer.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a two-ply head cover and method of forming the same which includes knitting an elongate tubular blank while knitting a narrow band of distinctive stitches around that portion of the tubular blank which forms the inner ply of the face hood portion of the finished head cover. A portion of the tubular blank is folded inside the other portion so that the band of distinctive stitches appears on the outside of the folded blank and provides a guide for forming the face opening in the proper location. When completed, the blank is everted so that the band of distinctive stitches is positioned on the inside of the face hood portion and is hidden from view.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- "ice FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a single tubular blank which is knit to form the head cover of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but illustrating the lower portion of the tubular blank folded up inside of the upper portion;

FIG. 3 illustrates the head cover after the uper end has been closed, a face opening formed in the face hood portion, and opposite side edges of the lower dickey portion have been slit and seamed together to form two-ply front and rear panels; and

FIG. 4 is a view of the head cover as it appears when worn and after it is everted.

The tubular knit head cover blank shown in FIG. 1 may be knit in either direction and will be described as being knit from the top to the bottom. The blank may be knit of any desired type of stitch construction, of any desired type of yarn and on any one of several types of knitting machines. The major part of the blank is knit of a particular stitch construction and the transverse bands are knit of a different stitch construction.

A band 10 is preferably knit of a 1 x 1 plain rib stitch construction and then a half cardigan stitch construction is knit to form an inner ply of a face hood portion 11. During the knitting of the medial portion of the face hood portion 11, a few courses of plain rib stitch construction are knit to form a narrow band 11a of distinctive stitches extending around the face hood portion 11. This band 11a serves as a mark or line for use in the later finishing of the head cover, in a manner to be presently described.

An inner ply neck engaging portion 12 is then formed by courses of 1 x 1 plain rib stitch construction which are connected to the lower edge of the face hood portion 11. A dickey forming portion 13 is then knit by forming successive courses of the half cardigan stitch construction. The dash-dot line 13a indicates the middle of the head cover blank, along which the blank is to be folded.

An outer ply neck engaging portion 14 is then formed by courses of 1 x 1 plain rib stitch construction. An outer ply face hood portion 15 is next knit by forming successive courses of half cardigan stitch construction. Finally, a band 16 is knit of courses of 1 x 1 plain rib stitch construction.

The head cover blanks are preferably interconnected in what is known as string work and successively connected by a pull thread so that they may *be easily separated, in the well-known manner. The head cover is formed by first folding the lower portion, up to the dash-dot center line 13a, up inside of the upper portion, as shown in FIG. 2. In this condition, the bands 10', 16 and the neck engaging portions 12, 14 are aligned with each other and the dickey forming portion 13 are joined together at their lower edges along a fold line.

The upper end of the head cover is closed by any suitable means, such as seams formed by curved lines of stitching 17, 18 (FIG. 3) which extend at right angles to each other and connect the aligned upper edges of the inner and outer plies to form a crown portion, broadly indicated at C. The narrow band 11a of distinctive stitches extends around the head cover blank and is used to locate the proper position to form an elongate face opening in both face hood portions 11, 15. This opening is then bound with second seam means, in the form of a line of stitching 19, connecting the corresponding edges of the face hood portions 11, 15. The stitching 19 is preferably of the well-known overedge type. The seammeans includes an elastic tape, not shown, is preferably incorporated in the stitching extending around the face opening.

Narrow slits are formed up opposite sides of the dickey forming portion 13 and third seam means, in the form of U-shaped lines of Stitching 21, connects together the corresponding edges to form two-ply front and rear panels 22, 23. In the present instance, the lower edges of the inner and outer plies of the panels 22, 23 are connected along a fold of the material. However, other suitable means may be provided for connecting these lower edges.

The head cover is then everted so that the closure seams 17, 18 in the crown portion C are positioned on the inside of the garment and the narrow band 11a of distinctive stitches is hidden on the inside of the face hood portion. The band 11a thus extends around inside of the head cover and from one end portion of the elongate face opening to the other.

The mating neck band portions 12, 14 aid in aligning the inner and outer plies of the head cover blank and also provide a snug fit of the head cover around the neck of the wearer. The front and rear two-ply panels 22, 23 extend downwardly over the upper portions of the chest and back of the wearer. The panels 22, 23 of the dickey portion are normally covered by a coat, sweater or the like. In this case, rear panel 23 serves the important function of holding the head cover in position and the front panel also serves this purpose, to a limited degree. The main function of the front panel 22 is to provide warmth by blocking out the cold air when tucked down inside of the V-shaped opening in the front of a coat, sweater or the like.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.

I claim:

1. A tubular head cover comprising a closed crown portion at one end, a face hood portion extending downwardly from said crown portion and having a face opening therein, seam means extending around and binding the face opening and including elastic means, a neck engaging portion at the lower end of said face hook portion, a dickey portion extending downwardly from the lower end of said neck engaging portion and including front and rear panels, lines of stitching extending down opposite sides of said front and rear panels and being joined at the upper ends thereof, said crown, face hood, neck engaging and dickey portions being integrally knit, and said portions each consisting of successive courses extending transversely and throughout the respective portions.

2. A tubular head cover according to claim 1 wherein said neck engaging portion is knit of a different stitch construction than said face hood portion and said dickey portion to constrict said neck engaging portion and to provide a snug fit around the neck of the wearer.

3. A knit seamless tubular head cover comprising inner and outer plies extending throughout the length thereof, a crown portion, seam means in said crown portion for closing the same and for connecting said inner and outer plies, a face hood portion extending downwardly from said crown portion and having a face opening therein, second seam means extending around the face opening for further connecting said inner and outer plies together, a neck engaging portion at the lower end of said face hood portion, a dickey portion at the lower end of said neck engaging portion and including front and rear panels having lower ends, said portions in each ply being integrally knit with adjacent portions in the respective ply, third seam means extending from said neck engaging portion to the lower ends and along opposite sides of said front and rear panels for still further connecting said inner and outer plies of said front and rear panels, and means connecting said inner and outer plies along the lower ends of said front and rear panels.

4. A knit seamless tubular head cover according to claim 3 wherein said outer ply of said face hood portion and both plies of said front and rear panels of said dickey 4 portion are of a different stitch construction than said neck engaging portion.

5. A knit seamless tubular head cover according to claim 4 wherein said outer ply of said face hood portion and both plies of said front and rear panels of said dickey portion are knit in a half cardigan stitch construction, and wherein both plies of said neck engaging portion are knit in a plain rib stitch construction.

6. A knit seamless tubular head cover according to claim 5 including a narrow band of courses knit in a plain rib stitch construction extending around the inner ply of said face hood portion and from one end of the face opening to the other, the remainder of the inner ply of said face hood portion being knit in a half cardigan stitch construction.

7. A knit seamless tubular head cover according to claim 4 wherein both plies of said crown portion are knit in the same stitch construction as said neck engaging portion.

8.A knit seamless tubular head cover according to claim 5 wherein both plies of said crown portion are knit in a plain rib stitch construction.

9. A method of forming a head cover including a crown portion, a face hood portion, and a neck engaging portion, said method comprising the steps of (a) knitting an elongate seamless tubular body while forming a particular stitch construction throughout the major portion of said body and forming bands of a different stitch construction spaced from opposite ends of said body, and while forming a single narrow band of a different stitch construction between one of said first-named bands and the corresponding end of said body,

(b) folding one end portion of said tubular body up inside of the end portion of said tubular body containing said single narrow band and to form a tubular two-ply blank with said spaced bands to form the neck engaging portion, and with each end of said body aligned,

(c) seaming the aligned ends of said two-ply blank to close the same and to form the crown portion,

(d) forming an elongate face opening along said single narrow band and stitching along the edges of the opening to connect the corresponding edges of the inner and outer plies of the face hood portion, and

(e) everting the stitched tubular blank to position the crown closure seams and the single narrow band on the inside of the head cover.

10. A method of forming a head cover including a crown portion, a face hood portion, a neck engaging portion, and a lower dickey portion having front and rear panels, said method comprising the steps of (a) knitting an elongate seamless tubular body While forming a particular stitch construction throughout the major portion of said body and forming spaced apart bands of a different stitch construction intermediate the ends of said body, and while forming a single narrow band of a different stitch construction between one of said first-named bands and the corresponding end of said body,

(b) folding one end portion of said tubular body up inside of the end portion of said tubular body containing said single narrow band and to form a tubular two-ply blank with said intermediate bands and each end of said body aligned,

(c) seaming the aligned ends of said two-ply blank to close the same and to form the crown portion,

((1) forming an elongate face opening along said single narrow band and stitching along the edges of the opening to connect the corresponding edges of the inner and outer plies of the face hood portion,

(e) forming slits along opposite sides of said tubular blank and from the folded end of said blank to the aligned intermediate bands which form the neck engaging portion of the blank, and stitching along the corresponding edges of the slits to connect the corresponding edges of the inner and outer plies and to provide the separate front and rear two-ply panels of said dickey portion, and

(f) everting the stitched tubular blank to position the crown closure seams and the single narrow band on the inside of the head cover.

References Cited UNITED 6 Pass. Yudelson 2205 Yudelson 2203 Sanborn 2196 XR Lowenthal. Lufkin 2205 Davis 2205 Sweet 2203 Schuessler 2-202 Rothstein 2203 Sontag et a1 2202 Garber et a1 2196 US. Cl. X.R. 

